I'm looking to upgrade my setup with a dual SFP 10/25 GbE network interface card (NIC) because my current 2.5 GbE NIC isn't cutting it for internal data transfers, especially with my connection to a 25/100 GbE switch. I'm running an i9 14900K processor with 128 GB RAM and a GeForce 4080 GPU on an ASUS ROG Maximus Dark Hero motherboard, but it seems like I've run out of PCIe lanes.
The 4080 is mainly used for driving three ultra-wide monitors and a 4K TV, so I'm considering downgrading its PCIe lanes. Can I reduce the lanes assigned to the GPU to free up lanes for the new NIC without compromising performance too much? I also have some older GPUs (4070 and 4060) I could use instead. I'm wondering if there are any options for increasing my PCIe lanes or if I could go the route of using a USB-C 10 GbE SFP adapter over Thunderbolt, although I find it odd to be limited by PCIe lanes when Thunderbolt can handle 40 GbE. Any advice?
3 Answers
It's definitely worth experimenting! Running the 4080 at PCIe 5.0 x8 should handle most tasks without a hitch. Also, don’t forget to move your NVMe SSD to the M.2_2 slot if you use the two x16 slots for x8/x8; M.2_1 gets disabled in that setup. Good luck!
Just a heads up! If you’re looking at used or older server NICs, some of those might require more lanes since they only support older PCIe versions. Generally, 10GbE cards should work fine with 4 lanes, but dual 25GbE cards can get tricky, so double-check the specs on any NICs you're considering!
Your top two PCIe slots indeed share lanes from the CPU, so you can run both at x8. The performance difference on the 4080 running at x8 won't be that noticeable unless you're doing intense gaming or rendering. The third PCIe slot operates on PCIe 4.0 x4, which is separate, so you have a bit of flexibility with lane distribution.
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